Dave Says: There’s a better idea than mortgage insurance

Dear Dave,

My husband and I had our first child in December. We bought a house not long before the baby was born, and since then we’ve been getting mail and phone calls about buying mortgage protection insurance. We’re both 27, we have good jobs, and our mortgage is $105,000. Would it be a good idea to get this insurance?

Rachel

Dear Rachel,

Mortgage insurance is really nothing more than a life insurance policy with the word “mortgage” stuck on the front. They make it sound like a specialized product, and they jack the price up. The truth is it’s just a big rip-off in most cases.

If you two are healthy, you both could easily get $250,000 on 20-year level term life insurance policies, for around $12 a month. Then, if something happened to one of you, the other could pay off the house with the insurance money and still have a nice chunk left over.

However, I recommend going a little further. My advice is for each of you to get good, level term life insurance—not just to cover your mortgage—but for 10 to 12 times your annual incomes. Both of you should have sensible plans in place to take care of your family now, and in the future, should something unfortunate happen.

And Congratulations! God bless you two and your new baby!

—Dave